A42-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 21,2002
ecu Weather ® 7-Da
A
Sunday
JMk...
Mostly cloudy and
breezy, a few showers
in the afternoon
High 42, Low 23
UV 1
The local 7 Day Forecast is for Lancaster County The ultraviolet index is a guide to exposure to the sun The higher the UV Index number the greater the need for eye and skin protection 0 2 minimal 3 4 low 5 6 moderate
7-9 high 10 or above very higf
The Week Ahead
Temi
eratures
'recipitation
Last Week’s Precipitation 30-Day Temperature Outlook
Lancaster
December 12
December 13
December 14
December 15
December 16
December 17
December 18
All forecasts and maps provided by
AccuWeather, Inc ©2002
Strength In Fed Cattle Prices To Continue Next Year
WASHINGTON, D.C. The
economic Research Service (ERS)
of the USD A publishes a monthly
Livestock, Dairy & Poultry Out
look and this month's report pres
ents a lavorable report for the cat
!le industry.
The following report was prepar
ed for the November issue before
(he advance of ted cattle prices into
into the s7os. It is especially rele
vant on the assessment of the con
ditions in the cattle and beef com
plex.
Fed steer prices have rallied $5
>ince early Octobei, reaching the
ipper s6os per cwt in early No
vember as poor feeding conditions
dowed marketings. With weekly
beef production running above
vear-earlier, the market strength
indicates relatively good product
movement in export and domestic
channels Prices strengthened in
Monday
' <• V*
Sunny to partly cloudy
and cold
High 36, Low 18
UV 2
0 00’
0 45
0 08"
0 00"
0 01”
0 00"
0 00”
early November as muddy feed lot
conditions resulted in weight loss
and reduced marketings.
In October, slaughter weights
and numbers were both above
year-earlier levels. The average
federally inspected slaughter
weights for steers bounced between
840 and 844 pounds in mid-Octo
ber as the muddy conditions affect
ed weight gain and resulted in
some weight loss.
Improved weather conditions
will result in compensatory gains
and improved marketings. Average
heifer weights, which tend to peak
later than for steers, also advanced
steadily until conditions resulted in
a downturn in late October.
A year ago, mild winter condi
tions contributed to unusually good
weight gains particularly in com
parison to the poor feeding condi
tions in 20001/01. For the quarter.
recast for L
Tuesday
''V *
Sunny to partly cloudy
High 38, Low 24
UV 2
Almanac
For the week ending Wednesday Dec 18
Temperature
High 40
Low 27
Normal high for week ahead 40
Normal low for week ahead 24
Above Normal
Precipitation
Total last week
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Growing Degree Days
Month to date
Season to date
Near Normal
Below Normal
Farming Forecast
A cold front will come through
|lMs» the area with a few showers
Sunday but nothing very signifi
™ ™ cant as far as ram amounts
Rainfall should average about 0 10 0 20
of an inch A storm may approach on
Christmas Day from the south with the
chance for snow ice or ram It will dry
out but turn colder Thursday into Friday
as high pressure builds over the region
Another system may arrive over the
weekend
Above Normal
Near Normal
Below Normal
the commercial cattle slaughter
weight is forecast to average 766
pounds, about 8 pounds above a
year earlier. Poor feeding condi
tions and additional cow slaughter
would result in lower weights.
If slaughter weights have indeed
peaked, beef production will mod
erate in the coming weeks as
slaughter numbers also decline sea
sonally. Although beef production
in the October-December quarter is
expected to be about 1 percent over
a year earlier, prices for fed cattle
are expected to average in the
upper s6os per cwt as packers
compete for declining numbers of
cattle.
In recent months, fed cattle mar
ketings have been brisk relative to
inventory levels. On October
1. cattle-on-feed inventory
(7-States) was down 5 per-
ncaster a
Wednesday
«*»■-
-agi^Jr”
Cloudy with a chance
of snow or ram
High 38 Low 22
UV 1
0 54’
2 52
1 86"
40 57
27 37"
42 08'
0
3554
Above Normal
s
I|s?
Near Normal
Below Normal
Surroun
Thursday
-**.
Sun and some clouds
High 36 Low 20
UV 2
Regional Forecast
Shown is Sunday s
weather Temperatures
are highs and lows for
the day
Toledo®. _ '
33/19
Akron
34/20 **
State College ft. *, '
36/22
_ * 45
*, Columbus 1 y Lancaster/ftp.
4O/22 /' ***»'"■ 42/23 (t 3 * 1
S '
r
Cincinnati
"<£37/20
Abingdon
30-Day Precipitation Outlook
cent from a year earlier. Feeder
cattle supplies outside feedlots on
October 1 were about unchanged
from a year earlier. However,
placements are expected to remain
below year-earlier levels, as wheat
grazing prospects in the High
Plains winter wheat areas are the
best in several years. Improved
weather conditions will result in
more light cattle moved to pasture.
The upturn in prices will likely
continue next year as steer and
heifer slaughter drops each quarter
relative to a year earlier, with the
largest year-to-year declines occur
ring in the second half.
Cow slaughter is in expected to
drop sharply in 2003 as forage con
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Areas
Friday
Partly sunny
High 38, Low 24
UV 1
. Syracuse
\ ■"'•fv ®- 35/24
Ja 2Bfi own * Elmira
& asaa
Erie “®«f" da nwni
|3/8S * 37/22
•^ a/2 J
Fcafikim sy
Charleston 42/24 y j
41/27 f >h
'' ®. Lexington .**/* J^'/ 7
45/23 *>«■* / '
Richmond jfe / i
52/29 ,
** Hfc,
ditions improve. Assuming normal
winter feeding conditions, gains in
average slaughter weight should
slow from this years record pace,
but will rise modestly as the pro
portion of cows in the slaughter
mix declines.
For the year, beef production is
forecast down 5 percent in 2003.
Prospects for reduced beef supplies
and higher cattle prices next year
depend to a larger extent in normal
forage and grazing conditions in
spring and summer, which would
encourage producers to retain ani
mals for breeding rather than feed
ing them for slaughter.
AccuWeather.coi
Saturday
fa
TMkm.
Mostly cloudy with a
shower possible
High 40, Low 32
UV 1
/«!
i
HSigfp’
' v Alb*n)P’ I
35/23
Above Normal
vW *
Near Normal
Below Normal
im